UNPRME Sustainable Development Goals Overview

In September 2015, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better future for all – laying out a path over the next 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and protect our planet. At the heart of “Agenda 2030” are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 related targets that address the most important economic, social, environmental and governance challenges of our time. The SDGs clearly define the world we want – applying to all nations and leaving no one behind. We are all in agreement on where the world needs to go. The new global goals result from a process that has been more inclusive than ever, with governments involving business, civil society, higher education and citizens from the outset. The Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), an initiative by the United Nations Global Compact, is a collaborative, collegial learning community that thrives on sharing good practices to inspire and champion responsible management education, research and thought leadership globally. Successful implementation of the SDGs will require all players to champion this agenda; the role of higher education is critical to this

The Bottom-Up Approach: An Integrated Global-Local Strategic Planning Process

The United Nations Global Compact is on the way to making corporate sustainability a transformative force - demonstrating how the private sector has a critical role to play in realizing a more equitable, prosperous and sustainable future. Over 8,000 companies and 4,000 non-business participants operating in 160 countries have joined the initiative and are working towards this end. To unleash the full transformative potential of the Global Compact, action must be taken at the local level. Global Compact Local Networks in more than 85 countries, all in different stages of development, are convening companies and acting on key issues at the ground level. In an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, Local Networks generate value for companies by enabling them to transparently engage and partner with relevant local stakeholders. These collaborations are driven by real social and market-based incentives that spur business to address sustainability challenges. This document outlines a Bottom-Up Approach to develop a global-local strategy for the Global Compact and Local Networks to unleash the full potential of business engagement in the Post-2015 era

The Sustainable Development Goals: A Guide for Business and Management Education

Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals through responsible management education is the vision of PRME. This is at the core of everything we do, and we believe it is the most important work of our lifetime

Global Sustainability Report 2020

Global Sustainability Report 2020, es un informe auspiciado por el bufete de abogados Baker McKenzie’s cuya misión es apoyar y servir a las comunidades en todo el mundo, dado el impacto que reconocen tiene su trabajo en las personas, en el medio ambiente, las comunidades y la sociedad en general, por ende, tienen el deber no solo de responder, sino de tener un impacto positivo. Bajo ese ideal, en el 2018, realizan una evaluación para identificar y priorizar los problemas ambientales, sociales y de gobernanza (ESG, siglas en ingles) que impactaron e impactan en la empresa, utilizan el resultado de la evaluación para alinearse con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) y ver donde pueden hacer la diferencia positiva más significante. Los ODS con los que se han alineado (5,7,8,10,12,13, 16, 17) reflejan su compromiso y el de sus clientes con la inclusión y la diversidad, la acción climática, la anticorrupción y la ética, así como su compromiso de colaborar con empresas y organizaciones de ideas afines en todo el mundo. La alineación con estos ODS no solo les brinda un marco integral para avanzar en sus esfuerzos de Responsabilidad Social Empresarial, sino que también les brindan la oportunidad de asociarse con personas, clientes, gobiernos, organizaciones multilaterales y la sociedad civil, para trabajar juntos en la creación de un mundo sostenible. A lo largo del informe, resaltan que los ODS son importantes porque a) permiten asesorar a los clientes sobre los problemas de sostenibilidad en le horizonte para sus industrias, en riesgos y oportunidades. Se deben tomar medidas sobre el cambio climático, con practicas en energías renovables, clima y finanzas trabajando en conjunto y combinando la experiencia para abordar los desafíos y oportunidades multifacéticas de cual es el mayor problema a largo plazo que enfrenta la humanidad; b) son vitales para la forma en que se atrae y retiene talento, las generaciones como los millennials constituyen una proporción cada vez mas grande de la fuerza laboral y cada vez mas quieren trabajar para fines determinados

Multinational and large national corporations and climateadaptation: are we asking the right questions? A review ofcurrent knowledge and a new research perspective

Adapting to climate change requires the engagement of all actors in society. Until recently, the predominant research focus has been on governments, communities and the third sector as key actors in the adaptation process. Yet, there is a growing emphasis internationally on understanding the role of and the need to engage businesses in adaptation given their potential to finance projects, develop technologies and innovative solutions, and enhance the scale and cost-effectiveness of certain adaptation measures. Large national and multinational corporations are among the key actors in this respect. Already, many of these corporations are purportedly taking steps to adapt their operations to climate change. Some stated reasons for their engagement include minimising potential impacts on value chains, improving resource efficiency, enhancing production of sustainable raw materials, and supporting customers’, suppliers’ and communities’ climate change adaptation efforts. However, there is a paucity of work analysing adaptation actions by these corporations, their motivations and contribution to broader adaptation and climate resilient development efforts, as well as possible instances of maladaptation. We apply a three-tier framework on drivers, responses and outcomes to examine the state of knowledge according to recent literature on private sector and corporate adaptation to climate change. Our review highlights that the literature on the impact and outcomes of corporate adaptation actions is sparse and we consider the implications for future research. Our analysis concludes with a reflection on the relevance of corporate-led adaptation – for the companies themselves, policy-makers at all scales, as well as society at large

Sustainable procurement strategies for competitive advantage: An empirical study

Procurement plays a key role in sustainability as policies and practices need to extend beyond organisations' boundaries to incorporate their whole supply chains. There is, however, a paucity of empirical research on sustainable forms of procurement initiatives currently being implemented in the UK construction sector to improve competitiveness - which is the core driver of this paper. In order to achieve this aim, a mixed research methodological approach was adopted to collect and analyse data. The findings are based primarily on quantitative data obtained from 53 completed postal questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 17 professionals from 12 UK construction organisations. As revealed by this study, sustainable procurement is becoming increasingly important in the UK construction sector. The paper concludes that the process of integrating sustainable procurement initiatives into existing business models is often a complex issue. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the drivers and impediments associated with the successful integration of sustainable procurement initiatives into existing construction business models. It is also suggested that there is a need for cross-sector collaboration to capture and share best and worst practices relating to sustainable procurement strategies

Reclaiming the child left behind: the case for corporate cultural responsibility

Although a reasonable understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) exists, one dimension remains largely ignored. That is, the cultural impacts of corporations, or the bearing, at various levels of their business models, activities, and outcomes on the value systems and enduring beliefs of affected people. We introduce the notion of corporate cultural responsibility (CCR). The way corporations address CCR concerns can be reflected according to three stances: cultural destructiveness, cultural carelessness, and cultural prowess. Taken sequentially, they reflect a growing comprehension and increasingly active consideration of CCR concerns by corporations. In turn, we explicitly address issues related to the complex question of determining the cultural responsibilities of corporate actors; specify key CCR-related conceptualizations; and lay a foundation for discussions, debates, and research efforts centered on CCR concerns and rationales